


Servitude

by Aysu



Series: EBF Collection [3]
Category: Epic Battle Fantasy (Matt Roszak Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Child Abuse, No pairings - Freeform, Slavery, Violence, and an Idiot, and too pure for this world, big brother lance, he's a dewberry, kinda a family thing?, matt's a nobleman's kid, please don't make me do another summary i suck at them, smol matt, tags are still hard, unrealistic expectations for a child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27578158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aysu/pseuds/Aysu
Summary: Matt's father acquires a new bodyguard for Matt.Or, just another AU fic from me with some angst, but not too much.
Series: EBF Collection [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2015827
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	Servitude

"Alright, pick any one you want." 

Matt nervously released his death grip on his mother's hand, though only because she pulled it out of his reach. A none too gentle push between his shoulder blades had him stumbling forwards to come to a halt barely a foot away from the first of the iron cages. Wide blue eyes peered fearfully backward, but his parents had already turned away to discuss Important Grownup Things. He pouted slightly before finally peeking into the first cage. 

A lovely feline was lazily draped across a wooden shelf. To a normal buyer, the obsidian form exuded strength with every twitch of dreaming, promising a swift and graceful death to its prey. Matt, however, thought the poor beast must have been so bored to be cooped up in one place all the time. A single eyelid peeled back to allow an amber gaze to sleepily study the young blond. The nervous grin he offered was met with a curling of a lip to reveal rows of needle sharp teeth. Matt flinched back and shook his head, deciding that, no, he did not want this one. 

He turned to the next cage, and then the next, and the next, on down the rows. Glorious birds of every color roosted in some cages, while smelly hogs rolled in muddy pits. Chimps chattered on large jungle gyms, while enormous reptiles lurked in others, and still more animals of all kinds awaited, all collared. All of them watched the young boy pass with sharp, intelligent eyes, but not much interest. By the time he’d reached the end, Matt's mind whirled with all the creatures he’d seen. He could have any he wanted. Maybe one of the graceful and colorful birds to sing songs when he was lonely? Or a sneaky fox to play hide and seek with? But the alligators looked so smooth and tough... 

Matt's eyes squinted in childish thought as he stared at the rows of cages. On the ride over, father had said to pick any he wanted, so long as it could guard him. That meant something much bigger than him with sharp teeth and claws. But those sounded scary, and he didn’t want to have to hide from his new friend because they scared him. A broad hand landing on his shoulder had him leaping in shock and he twisted to stare up at a caretaker. 

"Anything struck your fancy, kiddo?" 

Privately, Matt thought getting struck wouldn’t help him decide, but he gave a hesitant grin. "They’re very colorful." 

"The birds? Yes, so they are. Useful, too, for carrying messages and supplies over rough terrain, and they make wonderful bed-" The man cut off awkwardly with a cough before chuckling and shaking his head. "Never mind. They’re very beautiful." 

"Father wants me to get one with big teeth, though, to chase away bad guys," Matt mumbled. 

"A guard beast, huh?" the man mused thoughtfully. He rubbed the stubble on his chin and gazed across the cages before nodding to himself and resting a hand on the boy's back. "C'mere, I think maybe this way will have what you want." 

Matt followed obediently, but cast a mournful glance at the creatures he passed. They seemed to frown back at him just as sadly before they left his sight. The caretaker guided him to a side door where muffled barks, whines, and growls echoed through. And then there were dogs, and wolves, and hyenas all around him. Matt's eyes widened in wonder and delight as he gaped about with an open mouth. Spotted. Grey. Yellow. Patchy. Fur with stripes. Fur with tufts. Fluffy fur. Floppy fur. Fur of all colors and kinds. 

"Wow! Can I really have a wolf?" Matt all but squealed. 

"Well, a wolf might be a bit much for your household," the caretaker warned through a laugh. "But a dog might do well. Loyal, intelligent, fast, and strong. You can't beat 'em for a guard beast." 

"But wolves are way cooler," Matt argued as he broke away to stare at a small pack of wolves in one enclosure. "Plus, they aren’t scared of anything! That’s good, too, right?" 

"I suppose, but they also are much harder to handle—more wild and independent. Not good for an esteemed household such as your own." 

"But we have wolves all over the place! Dad even says I’m a wolf!" 

"Ah, right, the family crest. That’s not exactly the same thing, kid."

Matt ignored him, eyes fixed on a black wolf draped across a large rock. It wasn’t the largest of the wolves, nor did it seem to be the most important one, but he found himself drawn to its unique color of coat. Matt risked a step closer to the bars to try and see the beast better, his eyes wide with wonder—he’d never seen a black wolf before, and it’s coat seemed to glimmer with a red sheen in the light. 

"That one!" he chirped excitedly. 

The caretaker followed his point and his eyebrows rose. "I wouldn’t recommend that one, kid. He doesn’t get along with even his own kind." 

"Well, maybe they weren't nice. But I’m nice. I’d be his friend," Matt replied with a bright smile. 

"He’s been returned dozens of times. Won’t be here much longer, though." 

Matt's face fell. "Is he already someone else's?" 

"No, no. We just don’t keep ones we can’t sell." 

"Well, he’s mine, then!" Matt declared before darting off to tell his parents. Behind him, the wolf's eyes slid open ever so slightly to reveal sharp crimson irises. 

Two hours, and dozens of release forms later, and Matt's family was climbing into the carriage. Hitched to the back was a cage in which the black wolf was uncomfortably cramped. The walls were too short to let him stand completely upright, but too close to lie down, leaving him to adopt a miserable half-hunch. Matt paused by the cage and frowned at the wolf. The wolf ignored him, ears pinned back with aggravation and discomfort. 

"Don’t worry, it's a short trip! Then you'll never have sit in an icky box ever again!" Matt promised. He hesitantly stuck one small hand through the bars and added, "Promise." 

The wolf turned one eye to him and snorted before turning away. It was hardly the first time he'd heard such words. To him, Matt was just another spoiled brat whose parents had caved to his childish wishes of getting a "pet" without him truly being mature enough to handle even a pet rock. 

Matt didn’t seem upset by the rejection, merely promised to say hi again soon, and trotted off to clamber in next to his parents. As he'd promised, barely an hour later, and they were trundling up the manicured grounds of an enormous manor. Matt dove out of the coach before they’d even pulled to a complete stop and darted around to before the wolf. 

"We're here! Welcome to my house!" he yelled excitedly. 

The wolf winced slightly at the high voice, but was soon distracted by a taller human coming around to stare commandingly at him. The man looked like a larger version of the child, and the wolf could only assume they were father and son. But while the boy was still young and naive, the man was ready to lay down the law. 

"Alright, beast, you are to accompany and guard Matteus at all hours, protecting him from any and all threats. Fail, and I'll have your head mounted in the trophy room." 

"Hey, don’t be mean to him! You'll scare him!" Matt protested loudly. 

Amused at the defense, the wolf snorted and merely nodded. And at long last, the cage was opened, allowing him freedom to leap down where he arched his back in a long stretch before shaking himself and standing straight. He was taller, even at the shoulder, than the "Matteus" kid, which was sort of a nice change of pace. The boy didn’t seem perturbed in the slightest even after his father strode off to join a woman who could only be his mother, leaving their son with his new guard. 

"Sorry about him. Dad can be such a... butthead," Matt whispered with a furtive glance around at the house. 

The wolf let out a short bark of laughter at the childish insult before turning his eyes and senses to his new temporary home. It wouldn’t last, but it was good to know his surroundings. The noises were muted, but there were enough of them to reveal a busy bustle about the grounds. The crisp scent of freshly cut grass filled the air, but underneath that were multitudes of flowers and trees. Horse manure drifted from the direction of the stables, while the acrid chemical stench of cleaning supplies wafted from the direction of the manor. Matteus' scent, however, was closest of all, and he smelled of fresh earth after a rainstorm, and the banked embers of a warm fire. 

"By the way, my name isn’t Matteus," Matt announced with a pout, as though reading his thoughts. "Mom and dad call me that, but all my friends call me Matt! You’re my new friend, so you can call me Matt, too! What’s your name?" 

And just like that, the wolf was floored. Not once since his capture had someone asked his name. He'd been given a number upon his collaring, and even the other wolves had simply avoided speaking to him, as an outsider. Not one of the permed and manicured humans of the supposedly elite class had ever thought to even  give him a name beyond  beast or  wolf . And yet, Matt, his youngest and potentially dumbest owner yet, had just offered the basest of courtesies that all others had denied, and asked what name he had been given at birth. 

" Lance ," he replied softly. " My name is Lance. " 

And Matt's responding grin of delighted wonder and squeal of magic-talking-wolves trapped Lance far more securely than any cage, or chain, or collar ever had. If he’d been worried of Matt growing bored of him, or revealing himself to be naively cruel or thoughtless in the first few hours, he was wrong. The young blond had rejected the kennel for his new friend, offering instead a large floor cushion in his own room. " It's cold in there! And small! " Matt had pointed out hotly when a servant had noted that beasts typically stayed in cages. He made sure Lance got food that he could stomach for dinner, and even snuck extra tasty bits of his own meal under the table. Lance briefly weighed the unintended humiliation of being a fed scraps like a dog against the potential of fresh fillet, and decided he could allow that slight insult. Even his orders were more along the lines of childishly selfish questions than true commands. 

All in all, by the time they were settling down for the evening, Lance was confused and tentatively hopeful that maybe a life of captivity didn’t necessarily mean a life of cruelty. He sat in silence under the window, contemplatively watching Matt poking the large cushion on the floor with one foot and frowning petulantly at it. 

"It isn’t big enough," Matt pouted. 

Lance cocked his head and fluidly stood to go flop on the cushion. It was, admittedly, too small to allow him to stretch out on, but it was big enough for him to comfortably curl up. " Better than a cage ," he grunted. 

Matt crouched on his heels and rested his head on his arms around his knees as he studied the wolf. Lance had been quiet all evening beyond a few gruff thanks. No one had displayed the same delight he had upon hearing the wolf speak, and he wondered why not. He’d never heard of a talking animal before, after all. Maybe it was one of those things grownups knew and refused to tell kids. Lance's eyes opened upon realizing he was still sitting there, and Matt met the brilliant glowing crimson. 

" Not going to sleep? " Lance finally asked mildly, stretching his forepaws out before him. 

"Nope. Mom might come in and read me a story, still," Matt chirped. The boy reached out to touch the fur of one of Lance's paws. "Does it get hot wearing fur all the time? I have a fur coat mom and dad make me wear in the winter, and it gets really hot, even in the snow." 

Lance's eyes narrowed as they darted to the window where the moon was high in the sky—it was nearing midnight. He doubted Matt's mother would be in. "... Sometimes it gets hot, yeah. I like to stay in the shade when it’s the middle of a summer day ." 

Matt's eyes sparkled with delight and new curiosities. "Can't you take it off?" 

" Can you take your hair off? " Lance shot back. He watched in amusement as Matt tried to do exactly that with no success. " It’s the same for me. I’m stuck with it ." 

"Huh. Do you like to swim to cool off? We have a river bank I like to go to in the summer, but mom and dad don’t like to go, so I..." 

Lance closed his eyes as Matt chattered on about his short life thus far, and as he listened, he found himself feeling strangely... content. And when Matt's words began to slow and become broken up with yawns, he didn’t question the way the boy curled up beside him on the floor. When morning came, and Lance discovered Matt had moved during the night to curl up in the fur of his stomach, he merely pushed aside his surprise for not having woken up, blew out a sigh, and shut his eyes again to wait for the boy to wake up on his own. 

OOOOOO

"Sleeping on the floor is an act unbefitting of your station. What will the servants say once they hear of this? One even saw you already!" 

Matt shuffled his feet as he listened to his father lecturing him, and couldn’t help but frown at the floor. It wasn’t like he’d meant to fall asleep there. He’d just been waiting for the bedtime story he’d been promised and had gotten sleepy. It wasn’t his fault that he’d been forgotten again. And Lance certainly hadn’t seemed to mind sharing a pillow, so who cared? 

"That beast is not your friend, it is your servant, your guard, your slave," his father stated firmly in his lecture. "And if you cannot be trusted to remember that, then it will be chained outside your room each night to guard you." 

Matt’s head shot up. "It’s not Lance's fault I messed up!" he protested loudly. "It won’t happen again, I promise!" 

"Lance?" his father repeated with an arched brow before shaking his head. "Never mind, see to it that it doesn’t. Now hurry along, your tutor is already waiting. Remember that your mother and I will not be here for the next two weeks as we see to important affairs at the southern border. Mind your mentors and caretakers." 

"Yes, father." 

As soon as the man waved him off, Matt scurried out the door, shutting it behind him and leaning against the cool wood to let out a long sigh. Talking to his father was always so scary. He took one last deep breath before standing straight and turning down the hall. If he didn’t want another talk, he had best hurry to his lessons—boring though they were. Lance waited for him at the end of the hall, sitting at attention and falling in step behind him when he grinned, and together they headed off for the study hall. 

Five hours later, and Lance was doing his level best to keep his eyes open as the tutor droned on and on about many dull topics. Etiquette, economics, law, sciences, maths—things he didn’t think any kid would ever understand nor should need to know. For the first time, he wondered which noble house this was, and what domains they ruled. Matt, to his credit, seemed to be paying rapt attention, which Lance found to be rather impressive for a kid who couldn’t have been more than six or seven. He hadn’t even eaten breakfast, and lunch was just around the corner. Not that he espoused to be an expert, but he was relatively certain human kids needed to eat regularly. 

"Oh my heavens, look at the time!" the tutor suddenly exclaimed. "Hurry along, Lord Matteus, your drill instructor is surely wondering where you are!" 

Lance's ears twitched as he caught the quiet sigh of relief Matt let out. The boy slid the two feet to the floor and darted off out the door, not even waiting for Lance, though the wolf quickly caught up to his short stride. It almost smelled as though the boy was... afraid, though the wolf couldn’t understand why. The tutor hadn’t been mad, and surely this drill instructor they were heading to would understand that the scholarly man had simply lost track of time. 

" Shouldn’t you grab some food? " Lance asked as he chased Matt around a corner and sprinted after the boy sliding down a banister at a dangerous clip. " It’s been well over twelve hours, now. " 

"No time," Matt panted with an anxious whine. "Oo, I’m in so much trouble. This is the fourth day in a row... Why can’t mister Eaglton pay attention to his timer?" 

" He's made you late four days in a row? Why not tell your father? " 

"Can’t talk. Gotta breathe," Matt wheezed. 

He slammed through a pair of double doors, using his momentum to get them open, and immediately essayed a hasty bow. Lance skidded to a halt behind him, his claws protesting the scraping against flagstone as he tried to avoid bowling the boy over. 

"Sorry I’m late, sir! Mister Eaglton was-" 

A sharp  thwack split the air, and Matt's breathless explanation cut off with a yelp. Lance's eyes widened at the sight of a cane cracking across the boy's shoulders. Immediately, his fur bristled and his fangs bared in a low, threatening growl as he lunged to snatch the cane as it came for a second stroke. A plated boot slammed into his ribs, but he refused to let go, ripping the weapon from the attacker's grasp. He barely caught Matt's wide eyes gaping at him as he was flung a good yard away and to the floor. 

"No pets in the sparring hall, boy! And how many times must you be reminded to take responsibility for your own actions! Now grab your training sword and get in the first form, you’ve wasted enough time. Or does your father need to hear of your insubordination?" 

Lance sat up and shook his head to dispel the stars in his vision in time to see Matt halt barely a foot away from him with a concerned expression. The boy's lips pulled into a frown and there were unshed tears in his eyes, but he ducked his head slightly and trotted for a rack of blunted swords in the corner. His arms were stiff to avoid aggravating the bruise across his back, but he still began a simple form as instructed. 

Across the room, Lance could hardly believe his eyes. How could Matt possibly smile if this was what his everyday life was like? How could the adults around him not see how cruel and horrible they were being to a  child ? They denied him food, blamed him for another's faults, and physically struck him when he tried to explain? And Matt silently accepted it all, whether out of fear, or a misguided sense of duty, or a resignation of his lot. And yet he still worried about a pillow—a gift that was already a luxury—being too small for his slave... The wolf's eyes narrowed, and he bounded forwards to step between the boy and his trainer, growling at the older man. 

"Lance, you’re in the way," Matt protested uneasily. 

" You need to eat, and this pompous idiot needs to figure out where the blame is here. Has he perhaps considered that maybe it isn’t your fault you’ve been late? You missed breakfast, you’ve skipped lunch, and you’re not doing anything else until you’ve eaten ." 

Matt winced at the dangerous glow beginning to build in the drillmaster's eyes. "Lance, it’s fine. This is normal. Now could you please-" His words were drowned out by a louder snarl from the wolf when the older man took a step forwards. He desperately shouted, "Lance, you’re going to get me in trouble!  Go away! " 

A jolt ran through Lance's body at the direct order and he found his paws stiffly backing down and to the side. The compulsion didn’t lift until he’d left the room and settled down outside the door. And there he seethed. He could hardly believe Matt had ordered him to leave when all he’d been trying to do was help him. 

Three hours passed filled with muffled shouts and yelps and the clanging of blades. The rank stench of sweat and blood soon came through, and Lance's lips curled as his ears pinned back. And then it quieted down soon followed by the door creaking open. Lance had intended to ignore Matt for as long as it took to get an apology, but the intent died upon seeing the boy. 

Normally sparkling eyes were dull with exhaustion and pain. His cheek was bruised and he was favoring his left leg while his right arm was held unusually stiffly. Every muscle in his small form trembled with exhaustion, and his shoulders were bowed. And still, he tried for a tiny, pathetic smile at Lance as he approached. Somewhere in the dull blue, a small spark glinted back to life, and Lance couldn’t identify if it was greeting, relief, happiness, or hope. He couldn’t risk crushing it, so he swallowed his anger at the situation and at the boy and merely offered a shoulder to lean on. 

" C'mon, let’s get you to your room ," Lance muttered as he looked away from the painful joy on Matt’s face. He didn’t see the expression fall, but he did pause at the small voice. 

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tell you to go away," Matt whispered. "I’m glad you didn’t go far away." 

" I’m your guard. I can’t go far away, " Lance grunted, and was confused when that caused Matt's small fingers to curl in his fur. 

"But you wanted to," Matt mumbled sadly. He felt tears burn in his eyes and angrily fought them back. "Nobody wants to be my friend. They all want to go away as soon as they can." 

Lance quit walking at the hopeless sorrow in Matt's voice. No kid should ever sound so miserable, and especially not one so good and kind. 

" I didn’t say I wanted to go. Quit putting words in my mouth ," he grumbled. One of his ears twisted back. That hadn’t come out like he’d wanted it to. " I only left because I had to. Er, no, I mean- Ugh, I hate this stuff. " 

Matt waited hopefully as Lance's ears flicked with nerves and his tail swished in agitation. And to his wonder, the wolf seemed to double himself. To his childish mind, it seemed as though Lance was trying to make more of himself to always be around. Then everything went black. 

" Matt!? " Lance yelped when the boy collapsed against him and began to slide to the floor. He hastily dropped down and curled around the unconscious boy, cushioning his fall and keeping him warm. His nose anxiously pushed at the boy's face as he whined, " Damnit, Matt, this is why I said you needed to eat! " 

Matt's face scrunched up a few moments later at the cold wet nose touching it, and he batted at the furry head in his vision before his eyes widened. Not again! He’d just promised to not fall asleep on the floor! But... it was only him and Lance around, so nobody would tell on him. He heaved a sigh of relief and shakily began to stand up, only to sway and nearly fall back down. Only Lance's side suddenly pressing against him kept him upright. 

" C'mon, Matt, easy does it. One step at a time, " Lance coaxed. 

Inwardly, he lamented how much easier this would be if he only had hands; then he could simply carry the boy to his room. Yet he'd sworn to never assume a human form, refusing to lower himself to shaping his body into such a disgusting form. But Matt was shaking like a leaf in a windstorm with every step, and he was so pale. He needed food and rest, both of which were four flights upstairs... No, Matt could never walk that far, and if he'd gotten in so much trouble for being kept late, then what would happen if somebody saw him sitting on the floor in a dusty hall? 

Lance took a deep breath and stopped walking as he crossed the mental line he'd drawn. His very form seemed to shiver as he shifted into a human body for the first time ever. It was in his genetics, even if he’d refused to do it, and his body responded fluidly. And soon where there had once stood a large black wolf, there now stood a young man with dark red hair, black clothes, and a large collar around his neck. Lance ignored the shocked squeak Matt gave, and bent to scoop the boy up. 

"C'mon, it'll be faster if I carry you," Lance muttered. He shifted his grip to try and avoid pressing on any bruises on the small frame in his arms and started trotting down the hall. 

"Wait... I thought you said you couldn’t take the fur off?" Matt asked suspiciously. 

Lance's lips twitched in a smile. "I guess I accidentally lied. Sorry." 

"Can all wolves turn into people?" 

"I’m not a wolf, Matt," Lance chuckled as he began climbing a flight of stairs, "That's just my animalus form." 

"Anil... malsus?" Matt repeated clumsily. "What's that?" 

" Animalus are creatures that can take on an animal form. It's a sub race of humans, I guess you could say." 

Matt frowned up at him. "If you’re a human, why were you in a cage?" 

Lance's expression flickered as he pushed his way into Matt's room to set the boy down on his bed and began tucking him in. "Sometimes... Well, humans can be cruel. I don’t look like you when I’m a wolf, right? Lots of people see that and don’t understand it. I’m not human to them. And if I’m not human, that means they’re allowed to cage me—to sell and buy me, like your father did." 

Matt didn’t understand. He would think turning into an animal made a person an even better human. Like a super powered human. He wondered if maybe he could be an anamalysus, too, and if so, what animal he could turn into. He poked his teeth with one finger as though they might turn into fangs at any moment, and made a growling noise before giggling. In his imaginings, he didn’t notice that Lance had quietly slipped from the room to fetch some food for him. In fact, it wasn’t until the wolf returned, back on four paws, with a basket clenched in his jaws, that he realized Lance had even left. Following the wolf was a maid, whose eyes widened at the state of the young lord. 

"Lord Matteus! Whatever has happened?" 

Lance watched Matt's grin stretch wide, and turned his head to hide his own scowl as the boy assured the woman he was fine and had just been a little clumsy during training. Still, the woman swiftly patched him up before leaving him to eat his meal, though not without an admonishment through disapproving pursed lips to be more careful. Lance moved to sit beside the bed and fixed Matt with a disapproving look. The boy didn’t notice until he’d finished stuffing his sandwiches in his mouth. His cheeks were still puffed out with food when he finally blinked at Lance. 

"Whuff wongf?" he mumbled, crumbs spraying from his mouth. 

" You need to take it easier ," Lance scolded. " You’re a kid. You should be playing, not studying for five hours straight about how to govern a land followed by learning how to kill people when you can’t possibly have the strength ." 

Matt blinked at him in confused consternation as he swallowed. "I always have class followed by sword lessons." 

" Do you always faint ? " Lance asked scathingly. 

"What’s a faint?" 

" Gods, all this schooling and they haven’t taught you  basic self-care. You’re a mess, you know that? " 

"I guess I should take a bath," Matt mused as he studied his grubby hands with a frown. 

Lance stared at him before rolling his eyes and shaking his head with a fond and exasperated sigh. Gods help him, but he was attached to this tiny idiot. And it was in his favor that he was in the exact position anyone would need to be to help him. He watched as Matt squirmed out of bed—already looking worlds better for having eaten—and hollered for a maid named Lucy to help him with a bath. And while the boy washed, the wolf lay down to begin brainstorming ways he could help. 

Directly intervening had caused Matt to order him away and hadn’t changed anything, so he would need subtler ways of bringing the issues to attention. Or, at the very least, he needed ways to subvert the issues from ever becoming issues. The tutor hadn’t seemed bad, just engrossed, so perhaps signaling when the class should be over would be enough. He was certain he’d heard Matt say something about a timer, so there was something in the room keeping track of how long the lessons were going on for. If he could get Matt out on time, then the blond wouldn’t be late to his sword lessons; perhaps he would even have time to actually eat a lunch. 

And thinking of eating, he needed to make sure Matt ate a good breakfast. The boy's father had demanded his son's presence first thing that morning, but it had seemed like an unusual occurrence. That meant he just needed to ensure the breakfast table was one of their stops in the morning. And to achieve a good breakfast on time meant Matt needed to be asleep at a good time; no waiting up for bedtime stories from an absent parent. 

Lance's eyes narrowed as he thought on the two parents. The mother had seemed distant, though granted that he'd only seen her once or twice. But he'd spent the entire day that day in Matt's presence, and she hadn’t even made an appearance. His own mother had died while he was still young, but he still vaguely remembered her as a constant presence in his life when she’d been alive. Shouldn’t Matt's mother be a little more constant in her son's life, or at least ensuring he was healthy and happy? Because as brightly as Matt smiled, the smile would often fade, leaving him looking lonely and sad. 

And while the mother was absent, the father was strict and unapproachable. It made sense if he was an important ruler of some sort, but that didn’t give him the excuse to abuse his son in such a way. No adult should be forcing a boy so young to be doing things so mature. Lessons on agriculture, on pertinent laws in regards to criminals, on courtly etiquette, finance, and sciences? Matt had kept his eyes open and trained on the tutor during the entire session, but it had been obvious he didn’t understand the majority of what was being told to him. And the sword fighting was a ridiculous regiment. Matt was shorter than most swords were long, and never mind the physical strikes he’d suffered when he hadn’t mastered a form. The boy's days should be filled with laughter and exploration, not violence and schooling. 

But there was nothing he could do to change Matt's home life, short of kidnapping him. All he could do was try to make it a little more streamlined and bearable. And he would do his best to achieve that for Matt, because any person kind enough to offer friendship, comfort, and concern to and for a slave deserved whatever good could come their way. And there was such a wonderfully-naive, childish, happy light in the boy that could only do a world as rotten as this one good, if it could just be preserved as it was tempered by experience. 

A rustle and the sound of bare feet had Lance raising his head to see Matt come back into the room proper, completely naked. Lance snorted at the utter lack of common decency, but his gaze darkened at the bruises marring the boy's skin. Most were already fading or had lightened to ugly shades of green, and he mused that Matt must have some innate mana naturally working to heal him, but the marks weren’t gone, yet. The visible, physical signs merely enforced his need to try and help the poor boy. 

OOOOOO

"And so from this study, we can see that while increasing the field size increases agricultural output, it also increases waste, which can, potentially, lead to an increase in the pestilence populations and the diseases they carry. Now, if we really want to address a shortage of food, then-" 

Lance's eyes were half-lidded with boredom as he lay beside Matt's desk, his head resting on crossed paws. The tutor's voice droned on, melding with the stale, warm air of the study room, and making a soporific atmosphere that Lance had a hard time remaining awake in. Frankly, it was only the fact that he had to keep an eye on the timer or the boy would wind up in trouble again that kept the wolf awake. He still had no idea how the hell Matt stayed sitting at attention. 

" Finally ," Lance thought as he stood up and stretched. The timer had run out, which meant it was time to cut the lecture short. " Matt, your sword lesson? " 

The boy's eyes flicked to him before darting back to the tutor—who didn’t seem to notice the signal Lance had given—and he said nothing. Lance waited until the man's sentence finished, and when Matt still made no move to announce it being time to go, he took matters into his own hands. 

Lance calmly reared up to set his paws on Matt's desk, reached towards his open book with his fangs, and pulled it off the boy's desk, right into an open bag. The tutor's voice trailed off in bewilderment at the action, and Matt openly gaped at his guard. Lance ignored both of them in favor of picking up the bag with the book and moving to sit by the door expectantly. 

"Oh, goodness gracious, I nearly went over again! Good thing your beast reminded us this time, eh? Hurry along, Lord Matteus, and give my regards to the captain." 

Matt remained frozen in surprise at the early—or, rather, the on-time—dismissal, but quickly gathered his wits and slid off the chair to hesitantly stand by Lance at the door. He cast one last uncertain look back at the tutor, now absorbed in scrawling something in a notebook, before deciding that, yes, he was in fact allowed to go. Lance nudged his arm impatiently, and he finally cracked a grin before opening the door. 

"Thanks," Matt mumbled as they headed down the hall. 

Lance grunted, still holding Matt's bag in his jaws. It was starting to make his neck ache, but the boy thankfully reclaimed it to swing over his shoulder. " You need to grow a spine, " he grumbled with a level glance at Matt. 

"I have one already." 

" No, I mean you need to speak up when you need something. The tutor isn’t going to flip if you inform him class is over ," Lance corrected testily. 

Matt's expression flickered before he smoothed it out in a way Lance was sure no kid should know how to do. 

"Adults get mad when you interrupt them," he murmured quietly. 

" I just did, and it looks like I’m fine. " 

"Well, you’re an adult, too. They don’t get mad if adults interrupt them," Matt explained as if that excused everything. 

Lance shook his head, once again marveling at Matt’s childish inability to recognize the facts. Age had little to do with it. A slave interrupting a nobleman was far more egregious an act than if a child did so. Reluctantly, he swallowed those words, not wanting to convince Matt that his "wolf friend" actually should be treated differently—or, worse, that the boy could be being a lot crueler and get away with it. So instead, he settled on a different argument. 

" I’m not old enough to be considered an adult, so, no, it is fine to tell your tutor the lesson's time is up ." 

Matt shot him a baffled look. "But you’re so much bigger than I am! How can you be a kid still?" 

" I’m older than you, yes, but I’m not an adult—I’m only seventeen ," Lance explained patiently. A slightly misleading truth—he was only seventeen in human years, but by animali standards, he was technically old enough to no longer be considered a juvenile. Not that Matt needed to know that. 

"Oh. That makes sense, I guess. Sword lessons aren’t for another hour, so what do you want to do until then?" Matt asked cheerfully, finally accepting Lance's answer at token value. 

" You are going to eat something before your lesson ," Lance informed him in a tone that left no room for argument. 

"You aren’t supposed to exercise on a full stomach," Matt refused. 

Lance's lips curled back and he turned a level look on the boy. " You can eat something light without a problem. And it will have time to settle. Now come on, I’m not carrying you to your room again. " 

Matt huffed, and whined, and argued, but, ultimately, Lance stated that he, himself, was hungry, and the boy's words immediately changed to promises of finding something they could snack on. Lance followed on his heels down the hall, eyes fixed on short blond hair as he affirmed another trait on his growing list of things he knew about Matt. There was an admirable desire in the boy to help others before himself—especially those he counted as friends—but it hadn’t yet been balanced by a level of self awareness of his limits. That was fine: Matt was still young, and it would do him good to have someone watching out for him still. 

OOOOOO

"Lance...  psst, Lance! " 

Lance's ears twitched irritably before he cracked one eye open. " Matt, it’s the middle of the night. Go to sleep ." He tucked his nose under his tail and shut his eyes again. Matt's hand sank into his fur again and gave him a shake, and he raised his head to growl, " What!? " 

"It's snowing!" 

" You woke me up to tell me that ? " Lance grumbled, but dutifully rose to his feet and stretched, unable to resist the shining excitement in Matt's eyes. 

He padded across the room to the large window beside the young boy and looked out to see that, indeed, thick white flakes were falling from the sky and had already begun coating the grounds. Frankly, he wasn’t surprised: he'd smelled snow on the wind for the last couple of days, and the temperature had been dropping for weeks. Still, he remembered his own excitement upon seeing his first few snows, and Matt was practically vibrating beside him. 

" Want to go out in the snow after your lessons? " Lance offered as he dropped his chin to rest on the windowsill. His eyelids lowered in a mixture of contentment and sleepiness, but he remained with his fur pressed against Matt's side, guessing the young lord to be cold in only light sleep clothes. 

"Will you play with me?" Matt asked with hushed hopefulness. 

" No, I was thinking I'd sit there and become an ice sculpture ," Lance drawled sarcastically. To his dismay, Matt's expression fell, and he quickly added, " I was being sarcastic. Of course I'll play with you ." Matt cheered, causing Lance to wince at the sudden loud noise right next to his ears, and he nudged the boy. " Quiet! You know you’re not supposed to be out of bed. And speaking of, I won't play with you if you don’t climb back under those sheets right now, and go to sleep ." 

Immediately, Matt scrambled back to his bed and dove under the blankets, pulling them up to his chin. His eyes glittered in the dimness as he watched Lance huff in amusement and pad back to his cushion. Twenty minutes of tossing and quiet giggling later, and Matt fell back asleep. Lance curled a little tighter, tucked his nose under his tail, and drifted off. 

OOOOOO

The double doors slammed open to allow a small blur of brown and yellow to dive through into the still winter morning. Lance followed more sedately, wide paws sinking only slightly in the snow currently being shoveled off the front steps. Already, Matt had plunged into a deep drift against a stone wall, sinking out of sight into the fluffy pile of snow, only to explode out again in a small flurry of ice. Lance nimbly stepped to one side to dodge a lumpy ball of snow, and huffed an amused sigh at Matt's declaration of war. 

" I don’t have hands, remember? " Lance pointed out calmly as he ducked another snowball. He watched Matt pause in scooping together a ball, clearly considering the issue, and Lance grinned mischievously before lunging. " But I bet I can still bury you in this stuff! " 

Matt let out a shriek of laughter as he threw his half-formed snowball at the wolf, already plunging away, trying to escape being tackled down. The snowball vaporized well before reaching Lance, who had slowed his pace some to give the boy a chance. He let the next snowball explode against his shoulder, and fake-staggered to the side with a dramatic whine. To his fond amusement, Matt actually faltered on his next throw until sure the wolf was alright. A half hour later, and Lance finally tackled Matt into the snow, where they both lay laughing and covered in clumps of white.


End file.
